


Rainfall

by Titanbreaker



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Rain, Spending Time Together, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29664288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titanbreaker/pseuds/Titanbreaker
Summary: Raven and Joey spend an evening in a bookstore, but the journey home could be the start of a change in their friendship. Part of a series of ongoing challanges between myself and Featheredmoonwing.
Relationships: Raven/Joseph Wilson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Rainfall

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Done as a writing challange between myself and Featheredmoonwings.
> 
> My prompt was 'Walking home in the rain'.

Raven could sense the bookstore owner watching her. He did his best to hide it, looking away every time she turned her head to glance in his direction or by pretending to be engrossed with some mundane task like wiping down the counter or dusting some shelves, but the moment Raven returned her focus onto the task at hand, old Mr. White would in turn stop whatever it was that he had been doing and resume his spying on her and Joey Wilson.

This was getting ridiculous.

They were just friends.

Good friends, perhaps, but that was about as complicated as it got.

But no matter how many times Raven stated this fact people, nosey, intrusive, gossiping people would try to see something more between them.

And her patience for such people was starting to wear thin.

Sitting cross legged in the middle of the Mr. White’s store, Raven and Joey were making sure that each of the purple haired empath’s purchases were sealed up tight in plastic waterproof bags to ensure they would survive the trip back to the tower.

Had her head been clear of all tension, Raven could have simply called upon the darkness to swallow her, Joey, and her precious books up and transport them straight to her bedroom.

But all the whispering, the rumours, the never ending glances, winks, and stupid thumbs up that she had received from her teammates and friends had caused a dull ache to form within Raven’s skull and she knew that if she tried to teleport now, half of her purchases would end up as shredded waste.

And God knows what could happen to Joey.

Raven looked up from her work and saw that the blond had just finished wrapping a copy of Ronald Silverpaw’s second journal up in a layer of bubble wrap. He held it up to the light, checking to make sure there were no flaws in his work and after several seconds of hard eyed inspection, he slipped the book into a plastic bag, sealed it up, and then gently placed it within Raven’s backpack.

The empath wanted to thank him for being so careful with her books, but before she could open her mouth he caught her staring and offered her one of his innocent smiles that seemed to make his bright green eyes shine.

Something fluttered inside of Raven’s chest.

They were only friends. Nothing else. Only friends.

“How’s it coming kids?” Mr. White interrupted as he slowly waddled from one side of his store to the other.

“Tired of watching us already?” Raven snarled under her breath. She then froze. Surprised at herself. It was a momentary lapse in judgment. It had just slipped out, she hadn’t meant it. Not the words, nor the anger behind them. But she also had. Mr. White had been spying on her, trying to catch her doing something incriminating, something wrong, something that she would never do. Why couldn’t everyone just mind their own business and leave her and Joey alone?

Catching herself before the anger could take over; Raven bundled the emotion up into a tight ball and closed a mental fist around it. Taking in a deep breath, she held the air inside of her for a second before releasing it and the anger. The moment passed. She felt better. Embarrassed, but better.

Joey meanwhile raised his hand and gave the bookstore owner a thumbs up.

Taking that as the duo’s answer, Mr. White nodded and slowly made his way into the backroom behind the store’s counter and vanished from sight.

Grateful that Joey hadn’t noticed her inner turmoil, and still somewhat embarrassed over her own lack of emotional discipline, Raven returned her attention back to the book she had been working on. There was only a couple left and while she couldn’t wait to get back to Titan’s tower, unwrap her newest collection, and begin organising them across her various bookcases Raven also didn’t want this peaceful time to come to an end.

At the tower things were always in a state of motion, there could so rarely be a moment where things were allowed to breath. Danger, excitement, and drama, while those maybe the words a superhero lived by, Raven preferred a healthy mix of tranquillity, order, and reflection.

And so did Joey.

It was strange, he fitted so well into their family dynamic, and yet he contrasted his teammates in so many ways.

He wasn’t like Beast Boy; who felt the need to always be on the go and to get loud while doing it. Joey was quiet, soft, and capable of chewing with his mouth closed. And yet he was quite happy to spend many long hours on the couch playing video games with the green shape shifter or join him on walks through the city and countryside.

He was brilliant like Robin, but whereas the boy wonder could let his studies and research consume him, Joey knew when to relax and take a break. Something their dear team leader still hadn’t mastered.

And while he was as enthusiastic about music as Cyborg, their tastes were so completely different, that is still surprised Raven how they could still bond and explore new genres and songs with each other.

Joey was a pleasure to be around for everyone, no matter the circumstances.

He was special.

Raven considered herself lucky to be his friend.

Sealing another book away and placing it within her bag, Raven took the opportunity to briefly glance at Joey, all while trying to make it as casual a look as she could.

He was wrapping a weathered tome up in bubble wrap, taking extra care to ensure that the corners of her book were covered and protected. Putting it down on the floor, Joey reached for a roll of tape that Mr. White had generously let them borrow and grabbed himself several strips.

Trying to keep the bubble wrap firmly in place with one hand, while holding onto the tape with the other, Joey leaned forward and began securing the book’s protection.

Raven watched all of this and said nothing.

She wanted to say something, but she also couldn’t. In the great stories, characters could boldly state their intentions without embarrassment or shame. And if this was like one of those stories, where two characters were in such a position as she and Joey were, one of the characters would thank the other for his time, care, and wonderful company.

They might offer to reward his efforts by taking him out to dinner.

Just the two of them.

Like a date.

But this wasn’t a book, and she certainly could ask Joey Wilson out on a date, or dinner, or anything like that. And so in this moment Raven could do nothing but watch as Joey finished sealing away the last of her books in its plastic covering.

Then he looked up and once again caught her staring.

And it was just then that Raven realised how close they were sitting and how she had started to lean forward a little while she had been staring, bringing her head a little too close to his. She blushed at this inappropriate conduct and moved back, her eyes fixed upon the floor.

Joey sat frozen for a moment, before remembering that he still held the book and offered it to her. Softly blushing, all while mentally kicking herself for such a stupid error in judgement, Raven reached for it, only for her hand to accidently brush against his. She flinched at the sudden contact and almost dropped the book, but Joey caught it and held it steady, giving her a second chance.

Only this time, as Raven took a hold of the book, the blond moved one of his hands over hers and gave her a gentle squeeze.

Their eyes met.

Raven tried to speak.

Words didn’t exist.

Her mind was a blank canvas.

“The weather man,” Mr. White interrupted, causing the two teenagers to break apart instantly and start looking anywhere but at each other. “says that the rain isn’t going to lighten up anytime soon.”

The bookstore owner waddled back into sight, oblivious to what he might have just prevented. “I think you two should head on home, before it gets any worse.”

“Sure.” Raven managed to say after several seconds of awkward silence.

Putting the final book into her backpack, Raven zipped up the flap and picked herself up off the floor. Joey meanwhile tidied up, returning the roll of tape to Mr. White.

“Thank you.” He said, glancing over the blond’s shoulder to see Raven pull her dark jacket’s hood up over her head. “Do you kids want to borrow an umbrella?”

“No.” Raven answered a little too quickly.

Joey shook his head.

“Alright then, stay safe.” Mr. White said.

Slipping her arms through her backpack’s shoulder straps, Raven stumbled under the sudden weight, but quickly caught herself when she saw Joey take a worried step towards her. Then, with eyes fixed firmly on the ground, she walked towards the door.

Why did he touch her?

What did it mean?

Was she overreacting? Doing just as so many of her friends had done and was reading too much into a simple and well-meaning gesture?

Raven opened the book store’s door. The little bell that chimed every time the door was opened was completely drowned out by the sound of the downpour outside. Joey came to a stop behind her and peered out at the darkness.

The rain fell without mercy.

Turning back to Mr. White who was openly watching them with an amused expression Raven briefly glanced at Joey before taking a step towards the old bookstore owner. “About that umbrella…”

* * *

Pressed shoulder to shoulder, trying to make the most of the borrowed umbrella’s limited protection, Raven and Joey Wilson walked home through the storm.

“Sorry.” Raven muttered for the third time as she accidently stepped into a puddle and splashed cold water down Joey’s leg. Once again, he just shrugged at the incident. With the way the wind was sweeping through the city, the umbrella could only do so much to keep them both dry. Neither hero believed that they would be anything less than soaked by the time they got back to the tower.

Coming to a crosswalk, Raven and Joey paused just for a second and then began to cross, despite the red light shining at them.

So far, they had yet to encounter anyone else since leaving the bookstore. No cars on the road, no people on the street, it was as if everyone else knew when to take cover, leaving just Raven and Joey to be the only ones caught out by the torrential rain.

He tapped her shoulder. Turning her head, Joey offered Raven the umbrella to hold. Taking it from him, she watched as he used his hands to sign. _“Are you alright?”_

“Great.” She answered dryly as they finished crossing the street. “You?”

_“The same.”_ He smiled at her. But Raven looked away, causing his smile to fade a little.

“Sorry for not being able to teleport.” She said. A moment passed and she wondered if he might start prying, asking her why she wasn’t able to utilise her powers properly.

_“I’m happy to spend the time with you.”_ He instead replied.

For a while nothing more was said and other than needing to stop and hold onto the borrowed umbrella as a sudden burst of wind tried to rip it from Raven’s hands, the two teenagers continued on without incident.

But that didn’t mean Raven wasn’t deep in thought.

She wanted to be like the people in the stories.

She wanted to be able to ask Joey a question, regardless of how he answered.

Maybe it would be better for everyone if she just got it out of the way. She would ask, he would reject her; they would never need to touch upon it ever again. They would remain friends. No one would ever need know.

Raven resolved then and there as the rain continued to slowly drum against her, to ask Joey a question before they reached the tower.

Almost half an hour later, and she hadn’t asked him.

The Titan’s tower stood tall and bright like a strange lighthouse on the small island sitting within the bay connected to the mainland via a bridge, only a few minutes’ walk away.

She had to ask him.

Soon.

Later.

Now.

They reached the front doors of the tower.

Closing the umbrella, Raven gave it a hard shake, sending an absurd amount of rain water onto the wet ground.

Joey gave his wet head a similar shake, his beautiful blond hair was now clinging to his face, and covering his splendid green eyes.

“Thanks.” Raven said, trying not to let her voice be drowned out by the rainfall all while not saying what she wanted to say, and realising that she was chickening out of her own self promise. “For coming with me.” She further explained.

He smiled at her.

This was it.

The moment.

Her last chance.

Joey Wilson reached into his pocket for the security key that would unlock the Titan’s tower’s doors.

“Do you-” Raven started, and then stopped. He froze, turning to stare at her. She started again. “Joey do you want to get, as a thank you for today…”

This was harder than any book had ever portrayed it to be.

“Coffee.”

The clouds above their heads rumbled in approval.

“Do you want to get coffee sometime?” Raven asked him, not looking into his eyes but at his chin, finding it slightly easier to form words this way. “As a thank you, for today.”

Joey reached for his forehead and brushed his thoroughly soaked blond curls out of his eyes. He stared at her, his mouth slightly open in silent question.

This had been a terrible mistake.

Raven snatched the key from his hand and pressed it against the lock. There was an electronic beep and the tower was now open to them. She planned to get through the doors and then run for the stairs, but Joey was too fast for her and caught her wrist, pulling her back towards him.

Eyes shut tight, Raven began to call upon the darkness, preparing to teleport. Her precious books would not survive the journey, not with the emotional strain she was under, but it was a price that she was willing to pay to escape this situation of her own creation.

Then Joey touched her.

His hands cupped her cheeks, and the dark swirls that had started to creep up from her shadow vanished. The empath opened her eyes. Ever so gently, Joey raised Raven’s face so that she was now staring directly at him.

He was smiling.

Not as he had been at the store, or all the other times when he had lit up the world with his simple expressions of joy. No. This smile was small but honest and warm enough to make Raven forget all about the fact that she was dripping wet. He then nodded his head, slowly at first then faster.

Still not satisfied that he hadn’t gotten his answer across Joey released her face and began to sign. _“Yes, yes, yes.”_

“Yes?” Raven whispered in disbelief.

_“Yes!”_ Joey Wilson responded quickly.

* * *

Watching from the security monitor room, Cyborg could hardly contain himself as he watched as Joey offered his hand to Raven, who slowly took it. Then hand in hand, the two Titans entered the tower.

“Well it’s about time.” He smiled to himself before switching the camera feed to give the two some privacy.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed it or have any thoughts or criticisms please leave a review.


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